Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Review

I intentionally went into Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu without revisiting the shows. Both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett help expand the story of Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal in voice and close-ups, Brendan Wayne in action) and his “young” ward/foster child Grogu. But if this didn’t work as a movie without referencing hours of streaming shows, then Lucasfilm would have a serious problem.

Fact is, Star Wars isn’t what it once was. Oh, I’m not saying it’s lesser quality – Maul: Shadow Lord and Andor are both as good as Star Wars storytelling gets – but it’s been almost seven years since a Star Wars film played in theaters, and the last one was disastrous. As the fans get older, and younger people have more entertainment options, the Saga has found itself in a curious place where Star Wars has something to prove again.

For weeks now, Disney/Lucasfilm has been downplaying the movie, seemingly trying to lower expectations and adjust box office predictions. Even the reactions from early screenings from critics and influencers sounded muted.

So, with that in mind, is Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu… good? I can only speak for my own tastes, and of course, my long history with Star Wars, but for me, the answer is yes. I don’t think lowering expectations is necessary; however, it does help to go into it knowing some things.

First, this is a self-contained story, and the events depicted aren’t exactly galaxy-changing. It’s deliberately smaller in scale, and while I wouldn’t call it character-based, there are stretches that are more intimate.

The effects work isn’t what you might expect; some of the CGI goes from impressive to not-so-great, but fans may be surprised to learn that CGI isn’t the only tool in the box. There is a lot of puppetry, model work, and even some old-fashioned stop motion animation. There is a feel and a texture to the movie that will remind older fans of why they fell in love with Star Wars in the first place, and much like the original movie, there is a homemade quality that I appreciated, considering all the gloss and artifice that we’ve seen from big-budget filmmaking lately.

When I say that this is minor Star Wars, I don’t mean that as a bad thing. Rather, knowing going in that Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is all about entertaining and not shifting the Star Wars paradigm will make the film more enjoyable, and it’s also a nice entry point for younger kids who may be curious about this expansive universe without being thrown into the deep end of the pool.

The Mandalorian has been a bounty hunter for hire, working exclusively with the New Republic to find and bring in wanted fugitive officers from the Empire, all the while raising young Grogu and training him in the ways of his people. When Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver) hires him to bring in Rotta the Hutt (Jeremy Allen White), Jabba the Hutt’s son, and take him to the new leaders of the Hutt crime syndicate on Nal Hutta to gain intel about a particularly nefarious imperial officer, it seems like a pretty simple job to rescue Rotta.

But when Mando and Grogu arrive, it turns out that things are more complicated; Rotta, now a popular gladiator in the pits, doesn’t want to be rescued, and the Twins, the rulers of the Hutts, may have something more sinister in mind for both Rotta and the New Republic. Mando and Grogu must navigate these murky criminal waters if they want to survive.

The story doesn’t get much more complicated than that, and at times, the movie takes its time getting from plot point A to plot point B. That isn’t as big a problem as you might think, because we enjoy spending time with these characters and the worlds they inhabit. I was pleasantly surprised by White’s portrayal of Rotta; fans of The Clone Wars may remember him as “Stinky” from the movie, but he’s all grown up and trying to escape his father’s shadow.

White brings pathos and poignancy to the character, even though the CGI work is a bit dodgy. The best scene in the movie involves Rotta, Mando, and a gladiator pit fight that slowly reveals itself to be a significant piece of Star Wars lore; the smile that erupted from me when I realized what director Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were doing was huge, and I think fans will eat up this particular moment.

With the various puppets, the model work, a couple of stop-motion sequences, and computer-enhanced effects, The Mandalorian and Grogu has a Jim Henson meets ILM meets Ray Harryhausen sheen to it that felt like both homage and a good use of practical effects. It helps to think of The Mandalorian and Grogu as pure Saturday matinee – or even Saturday morning cartoon.

While the movie does feel skewed to a younger audience, that’s not a complaint. It’s inviting kids and young adults to this vast Saga in a way that may be more needed than longtime fans may realize. In fact, The Mandalorian and Grogu may be the perfect invitation point. Kids will love Grogu’s antics, older fans will love the action and a chance to explore this Saga once again, and it all comes together in a satisfying way.

When it comes to Star Wars, I always approach it like I’m in a cafeteria. You get to pick and choose what you want, and there’s more variety than seems apparent on the surface. Only time will tell how well The Mandalorian and Grogu will do box office-wise, but Star Wars feels as strong as ever.

I wish Filoni would consider bringing the animated stories to the big screen; imagine seeing Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord split into three movies, released every couple of months. The animation department has come a long way since the terrible Clone Wars movie. But there’s a ton of galaxy to explore, and there’s something for everybody.

It’s nice to have Star Wars back on the big screen, and while The Mandalorian and Grogu isn’t particularly deep or nuanced, it still has a lot to offer longtime devotees and newbies both. The Mandalorian and Grogu is pure popcorn entertainment, and that’s enough for this Star Wars fan.

STAR WARS: THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU REVIEW RATING: 7 OUT OF 10

Lucasfilm will release Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu in theaters on Friday, May 22, 2026. The film has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for sci-fi violence and action.